RANT:My Love and Hate of German cars.

[SWETM]

I’ve got a BMW 335d and the torque is just fun. Going from 50 to 80 is a blast. The emissions is a pain and I may be making some adjustments to mine to cut down on the carbon buildup problem. We have no emissions testing where I live. I’m torn on which way to go but BMW quoted me $3k plus to clean the carbon. There is a guy in N. Georgia that specializes in diesels and he will do it for much less, it’s just a long haul to get to his shop.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Is it where the fuel injectors is that you have carbon build up?

I would look for a good and well known tuning company to get the most effective tuning for your motor. The dieselgate has made the certified service places for the different manufactures to install new mapping program to the motor. And often not in a good way since you get a less effective motor after a service. While if you have an early car modell and you service it you can get a better and more effective mapping program from a later year modell of the car installed. There is tuning boxes that is quite good too. One that does them for many different car modells and is at a good price is Racechip dot com. The entry level box I have in mind to get for my Kia cee`d with a turbo diesel. Think that I have seen them available in the US. But from a tuning company you can get a service from them. And not only DIY it with a box from for an example Racechip. They often get your engine to run better with more HP and torque and mpg. It`s very common to let a tuning company tune in your diesel engine to run better here in Sweden. Just a thought.

/Tony

 

[rlmccarty2000]

Is it where the fuel injectors is that you have carbon build up?

I would look for a good and well known tuning company to get the most effective tuning for your motor. The dieselgate has made the certified service places for the different manufactures to install new mapping program to the motor. And often not in a good way since you get a less effective motor after a service. While if you have an early car modell and you service it you can get a better and more effective mapping program from a later year modell of the car installed. There is tuning boxes that is quite good too. One that does them for many different car modells and is at a good price is Racechip dot com. The entry level box I have in mind to get for my Kia cee`d with a turbo diesel. Think that I have seen them available in the US. But from a tuning company you can get a service from them. And not only DIY it with a box from for an example Racechip. They often get your engine to run better with more HP and torque and mpg. It`s very common to let a tuning company tune in your diesel engine to run better here in Sweden. Just a thought.

/Tony

It’s more than just the fuel injectors. I’m not a mechanic so I won’t even try to go into details on the 335d. Take a look at any of the BMW forums and they can explain it much better, but it starts with the EGR valve. There is also a problem with our quality of diesel fuel and that the car needs to be driven at Autobahn speeds to keep the carbon buildup down.

The guy up in N. GA is AARodrigues and he also remaps/tunes the ECU to get more power out of the car. He offers several stages of tuning even to where you need upgraded fuel pumps. I just want a little more performance and less carbon buildup. I really don’t want to increase pollution, but I want to be able to drive the car. I’m probably going to leave the urea injection alone and also the filter, but the EGR system will have to be deleted.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[TheMeanGreen]

It’s more than just the fuel injectors. I’m not a mechanic so I won’t even try to go into details on the 335d. Take a look at any of the BMW forums and they can explain it much better, but it starts with the EGR valve. There is also a problem with our quality of diesel fuel and that the car needs to be driven at Autobahn speeds to keep the carbon buildup down.

The guy up in N. GA is AARodrigues and he also remaps/tunes the ECU to get more power out of the car. He offers several stages of tuning even to where you need upgraded fuel pumps. I just want a little more performance and less carbon buildup. I really don’t want to increase pollution, but I want to be able to drive the car. I’m probably going to leave the urea injection alone and also the filter, but the EGR system will have to be deleted.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Using more of your "go" pedal will help reduce carbon build up, the engine needs higher load and more than 3k rpms. Like every time you drive the car, go full throttle accelerating to highway speeds when merging. The more load and rpms that the engine sees, the less carbon build up. Shoot, if there is any way that the car could be detuned safely, I`d do that. Just so that I can go higher load acceleration without getting into as much trouble with the law. Granted I drive a GS300 that has the 2JZ in it, she purrs like a kitten and runs as smooth as silk. That engine regularly sees high load and high rpm situations, and granted is also port injected, however the Toyota motors are known for consuming more oil than the majority of other engines, nonetheless, the engine runs as smooth as silk with 165K miles on the clock and with seeing 20k miles (my ownership) of high load and high rpm driving, she runs better than when I bought her.

Often, with my co-workers, we get into conversations about how much horsepower is the perfect amount for the street and they always agree between themselves that 500 is the magic number while I always come in around the 300 mark. With 300hp on a reliable engine, the engine will be able to withstand being flogged all day long, thus increasing engine temps to the point where soft carbon deposits are being burned off. Burning off carbon deposits in a 500hp motor is much more difficult because the throttle input required to get engine temps to the point of soft carbon burning, result in very illegal speeds. Whereas in the 300hp motor, I can burn soft carbon all day long and get pulled over for doing 14mph over, instead of 34mph over in the 500hp motor.

Here in the states, our infrastructure just isn`t conducive to owning and driving German cars in the ways of which they were designed to be driven. The majority of german cars barely see 50% throttle application in day to day driving, when they were designed to see 50%+. Now, not all of the carbon build up problems are related to driving styles, BMW and other Germans have not been doing their best design work when it comes to building the engines. There is a lot of cost cutting by way of material use like plastics, for example using plastic parts on the hot side of engines instead of metal. At work, we recently had a customer who had been turning down the servicing of the EGR system on their F15 X5 35d and the EGR valve ended up getting clogged, over heating the EGR cooler, and together melting holes in the plastic intake. As their trade-in value was next to rock bottom, combined with the fact that no one wants a `14 X5 35d with 85K miles on the clock, the customer decided to bite the bullet and fix the X5. The bill was about $4k in parts and labor. Since the fix, the X5 has been in for other minor services and I have noticed that the owners have started to neglect keeping the exterior and interior in as good of condition as when I first saw it.

Long story short, give liberal amounts of acceleration up to posted limits, do plenty of walnut shell blastings, and take care of the car. And when going on short drives, like running errands, get the car up to temp and plan some extra time to do a few full throttle pulls onto your local highway or service roads

 

[rlmccarty2000]

Using more of your "go" pedal will help reduce carbon build up, the engine needs higher load and more than 3k rpms. Like every time you drive the car, go full throttle accelerating to highway speeds when merging. The more load and rpms that the engine sees, the less carbon build up. Shoot, if there is any way that the car could be detuned safely, I`d do that. Just so that I can go higher load acceleration without getting into as much trouble with the law. Granted I drive a GS300 that has the 2JZ in it, she purrs like a kitten and runs as smooth as silk. That engine regularly sees high load and high rpm situations, and granted is also port injected, however the Toyota motors are known for consuming more oil than the majority of other engines, nonetheless, the engine runs as smooth as silk with 165K miles on the clock and with seeing 20k miles (my ownership) of high load and high rpm driving, she runs better than when I bought her.

Often, with my co-workers, we get into conversations about how much horsepower is the perfect amount for the street and they always agree between themselves that 500 is the magic number while I always come in around the 300 mark. With 300hp on a reliable engine, the engine will be able to withstand being flogged all day long, thus increasing engine temps to the point where soft carbon deposits are being burned off. Burning off carbon deposits in a 500hp motor is much more difficult because the throttle input required to get engine temps to the point of soft carbon burning, result in very illegal speeds. Whereas in the 300hp motor, I can burn soft carbon all day long and get pulled over for doing 14mph over, instead of 34mph over in the 500hp motor.

Here in the states, our infrastructure just isn`t conducive to owning and driving German cars in the ways of which they were designed to be driven. The majority of german cars barely see 50% throttle application in day to day driving, when they were designed to see 50%+. Now, not all of the carbon build up problems are related to driving styles, BMW and other Germans have not been doing their best design work when it comes to building the engines. There is a lot of cost cutting by way of material use like plastics, for example using plastic parts on the hot side of engines instead of metal. At work, we recently had a customer who had been turning down the servicing of the EGR system on their F15 X5 35d and the EGR valve ended up getting clogged, over heating the EGR cooler, and together melting holes in the plastic intake. As their trade-in value was next to rock bottom, combined with the fact that no one wants a `14 X5 35d with 85K miles on the clock, the customer decided to bite the bullet and fix the X5. The bill was about $4k in parts and labor. Since the fix, the X5 has been in for other minor services and I have noticed that the owners have started to neglect keeping the exterior and interior in as good of condition as when I first saw it.

Long story short, give liberal amounts of acceleration up to posted limits, do plenty of walnut shell blastings, and take care of the car. And when going on short drives, like running errands, get the car up to temp and plan some extra time to do a few full throttle pulls onto your local highway or service roads

I agree with your assessment of the situation. I put my 335d in sport mode most of the time now to keep the engine speed up to burn off any carbon I can. It affects gas mileage, but I really don’t see any way around it. I limit my around town driving or take the wife’s car. BMW says they have a new Diesel engine that burns cleaner and more efficiently, but I have doubts the US will ever see it. They are still deciding if the new X5 will have a diesel here or not. That ‘14 X5 with 85k miles is just broken in good. I like to buy my cars used after the depreciation has hit hard but the car is still in good shape, that ‘14 is close to what I look for. I bought my 335d with 50k miles just out of warranty. It was $56k new and I got it for $16k, nothing but normal maintenance so far, but I know I have some major work coming up soon. Having a big maintenance bill doesn’t bother me much since I saved on the depreciation side.

I have the “what is the right amount of horsepower” debate from time to time too but never thought about the carbon problem until you brought it up. I’ve always thought 300hp is enough for anyone, especially if the vehicle has a low weight, but I’ve been thinking more in the 400hp range for my next car. I’m thinking about a used E90 M3 that has 414hp. It will be overkill for me, but it will also be a second car/toy. I think that model, the last of the naturally aspirated 8 cylinder BMWs may be a future collectible. I’m not buying it hoping it goes up in value, but in 20 years people will still be talking about it, where the turbo BMWs will be somewhat forgotten (maybe not the 1M). The horsepower wars are fun but I think I’ll watch from the sidelines as no one needs 700+ horsepower. Of course in 20 years I think the majority of cars sold will be of the electric or hybrid type. 5 years from now I plan to buy a full electric car. The range should be around the 400 mile per charge mark and that will quell my range anxiety problem and infrastructure will be better to support my needs. Oops getting off topic...

 

[TheMeanGreen]

I have the “what is the right amount of horsepower” debate from time to time too but never thought about the carbon problem until you brought it up. I’ve always thought 300hp is enough for anyone, especially if the vehicle has a low weight, but I’ve been thinking more in the 400hp range for my next car. I’m thinking about a used E90 M3 that has 414hp. It will be overkill for me, but it will also be a second car/toy. I think that model, the last of the naturally aspirated 8 cylinder BMWs may be a future collectible. I’m not buying it hoping it goes up in value, but in 20 years people will still be talking about it, where the turbo BMWs will be somewhat forgotten (maybe not the 1M). The horsepower wars are fun but I think I’ll watch from the sidelines as no one needs 700+ horsepower. Of course in 20 years I think the majority of cars sold will be of the electric or hybrid type. 5 years from now I plan to buy a full electric car. The range should be around the 400 mile per charge mark and that will quell my range anxiety problem and infrastructure will be better to support my needs. Oops getting off topic...

Here is my rant about electric vehicles, posted over in the "What did you do detailing wise today?"

[Rant ON:

For all:

What about the environmental impact that the vehicle manufacture creates when they build the car? Or the batteries, or interior plastics that are comprised of petroleum? What about the environmental impact that all the parts suppliers create? What happens when a family member 600 miles away falls ill and the only way to get there is by driving and it`s the holidays, so all the combustion-engined rental cars are booked? What if the excess capacity that the power plant has is actual plant capacity and not energy stored in reserve batteries that can be released back into the grid? What if that excess capacity is actually the plant running at 40% capacity and the plant wants to run 50% capacity to up keep demand and be slightly more efficient? How is that extra 10% of capacity of increased energy produced, is it by fossil fuels or renewable and sustainable energy like solar, wind, or hydroelectric? If that 10% higher capacity that the power plant produces is via fossil fuel, there is no way on this green earth that a couple hundred EV`s (in ones area of living) will offset the carbon footprint that the 10% extra plant capacity produces. With the US electrical grid in its current form of not keeping reserve energy (on average) and with producing energy by way of fossil fuels, every time a person turns on their kitchen light, a power plant within a XXX miles radius must increase its output to meet the higher demand that that single kitchen lightbulb has created (doesn`t matter whether it is incandescent or LED). Thus increasing the plants own native power consumption and presumably adding to its carbon footprint. As long as the US grid is producing energy on fossil fuels and not storing reserve energy, it doesn`t matter how many electric cars will be sold because the cars will still not be able to counteract the carbon foot print that power plants upstream or downstream are creating. However, it is much easier to control the people than it is to control corporations, especially big ones, forget trying to control governments, of course unless the governed people unite.

As far as fueling is concerned, gasoline and diesel are the most energy dense forms of fuel per unit volume, diesel more-so than gasoline. There is some very promising technology on the horizon, that should keep the Internal Combustion Engine around, however its shape will change. It is really such a shame that diesel has gotten a bad rap, because it is truly a fuel of the future. Diesels are so much more efficient and when combined in a hybrid system, my goodness the MPG. Check out BMW`s european Diesel-Hybrid concepts, 60+mpg. As automakers continue to strive to meet Fuel Economy and emissions standards, they will realize that they will only be able to go so far before their efforts are deemed too expensive; the efforts should be made in aerodynamics, and lighter weight vehicles, and evolving the ICE with new technology. The biggest downside to batteries is that every time a battery goes through a discharge/recharge cycle, it`s capacity is diminished. Yes there technologies that make the batteries better, but they still loose their capacity every time they are discharged/recharged. The ICE will always have its place because there is simply nothing that can replicate it, and there is no other fuel as energy dense per unit volume that is capable of supporting such a small application as a passenger vehicle, yet. In the auto industry, we are in a transition period where the push is for all electric, but that will come at a cost, especially in the US as we simply do not have the infrastructure to support millions of electric vehicles that will hopefully be on the road by 202X. As the infrastructure currently stands, I don`t see how it will be possible to support that many vehicles without turning the power plants to renewable sources of energy. The people want electric vehicles, but what happens when the EV`s cannot be sold because the infrastructure cannot support them? The automakers will begin to go towards red then the people will want ICE vehicles, starting the cycle over.

There are so many more topics that I`d like to rant about, relating to EV`s and cars. However, I think this diatribe is enough.

Rant: OFF.]

 

[mobiledynamics]

Who`s buying me a flush floor 4 post lift for xmas + the 12 ft height extension on the garage ;-).
I am getting old and I am not as enthusiastic about working on my back.

 

[rlmccarty2000]

Here is my rant about electric vehicles, posted over in the "What did you do detailing wise today?"

[Rant ON:

For all:

What about the environmental impact that the vehicle manufacture creates when they build the car? Or the batteries, or interior plastics that are comprised of petroleum? What about the environmental impact that all the parts suppliers create? What happens when a family member 600 miles away falls ill and the only way to get there is by driving and it`s the holidays, so all the combustion-engined rental cars are booked? What if the excess capacity that the power plant has is actual plant capacity and not energy stored in reserve batteries that can be released back into the grid? What if that excess capacity is actually the plant running at 40% capacity and the plant wants to run 50% capacity to up keep demand and be slightly more efficient? How is that extra 10% of capacity of increased energy produced, is it by fossil fuels or renewable and sustainable energy like solar, wind, or hydroelectric? If that 10% higher capacity that the power plant produces is via fossil fuel, there is no way on this green earth that a couple hundred EV`s (in ones area of living) will offset the carbon footprint that the 10% extra plant capacity produces. With the US electrical grid in its current form of not keeping reserve energy (on average) and with producing energy by way of fossil fuels, every time a person turns on their kitchen light, a power plant within a XXX miles radius must increase its output to meet the higher demand that that single kitchen lightbulb has created (doesn`t matter whether it is incandescent or LED). Thus increasing the plants own native power consumption and presumably adding to its carbon footprint. As long as the US grid is producing energy on fossil fuels and not storing reserve energy, it doesn`t matter how many electric cars will be sold because the cars will still not be able to counteract the carbon foot print that power plants upstream or downstream are creating. However, it is much easier to control the people than it is to control corporations, especially big ones, forget trying to control governments, of course unless the governed people unite.

As far as fueling is concerned, gasoline and diesel are the most energy dense forms of fuel per unit volume, diesel more-so than gasoline. There is some very promising technology on the horizon, that should keep the Internal Combustion Engine around, however its shape will change. It is really such a shame that diesel has gotten a bad rap, because it is truly a fuel of the future. Diesels are so much more efficient and when combined in a hybrid system, my goodness the MPG. Check out BMW`s european Diesel-Hybrid concepts, 60+mpg. As automakers continue to strive to meet Fuel Economy and emissions standards, they will realize that they will only be able to go so far before their efforts are deemed too expensive; the efforts should be made in aerodynamics, and lighter weight vehicles, and evolving the ICE with new technology. The biggest downside to batteries is that every time a battery goes through a discharge/recharge cycle, it`s capacity is diminished. Yes there technologies that make the batteries better, but they still loose their capacity every time they are discharged/recharged. The ICE will always have its place because there is simply nothing that can replicate it, and there is no other fuel as energy dense per unit volume that is capable of supporting such a small application as a passenger vehicle, yet. In the auto industry, we are in a transition period where the push is for all electric, but that will come at a cost, especially in the US as we simply do not have the infrastructure to support millions of electric vehicles that will hopefully be on the road by 202X. As the infrastructure currently stands, I don`t see how it will be possible to support that many vehicles without turning the power plants to renewable sources of energy. The people want electric vehicles, but what happens when the EV`s cannot be sold because the infrastructure cannot support them? The automakers will begin to go towards red then the people will want ICE vehicles, starting the cycle over.

There are so many more topics that I`d like to rant about, relating to EV`s and cars. However, I think this diatribe is enough.

Rant: OFF.]

It’s a good rant that brings up many questions that need to be answered. I think more government investment in renewable resources is one answer. Tax breaks for solar energy at the Federal level and government investment. Some states allow you to sell excess power generated back to the electric company but others do not. Georgia and Florida are two I am most knowledgeable about and both states make it inhospitable for people to use solar panels, and they are states that get a lot of sun year round. Using solar panels that can be cheaper if mass produced and incentivized would take some of the burden off power producing plants. Using solar generation at peoples place of work such as large factories could allow people to charge their cars at work instead of at home. Large parking lots could be covered with solar panels on roofs over the parking lot. A place like the Pentagon that has thousands of workers and cars would be ideal. We have to start somewhere and we can’t rely on private investment to do it all. The government is responsible for the boom in electric cars by giving huge tax incentives to buy the cars, now they have to step up and provide the electricity.

I agree about the diesel hybrid vehicles being the best of both worlds, but for some unknown reason carmakers have balked at this idea. Again the government could provide incentives to produce this type of vehicle just as they did with electric vehicles.

Electric cars are going to get more efficient as more research goes into them. Tesla batteries have gotten much better over 10 years and with more competition I see better and more efficient batteries and cars coming shortly. The main problem I see is the rare earth elements used it electric car production. China has 99% of the rare earth metals and this could cause major problems in the future especially since China is moving toward electric cars faster than the US to combat it’s pollution problems.

Burning more coal to produce electricity is not the answer for the long term and with nuclear facilities being taken off line faster than new ones being built or even planned something has to give. I don’t have a solution for this. Way over my pay grade.

There are tons of problems with increasing electric vehicles but I think it is worth it if we can wean ourselves off of fossil fuels. Replacing gasoline with coal burning electric plants is not a good solution. This is a Federal problem and needs to be addressed at that level. The current administration is not going to address it. They want more off shore drilling and “clean coal”. Lol. Maybe when Trump goes back to the Apprentice something might get done. We need forward thinkers like the ones who planned and built the interstate road system, not the ones who want to spend tax dollars on a futile wall.

 

[SWETM]

The problem with the EGR on diesel cars comes when you drive short drives a lot. It has it`s own cleaning system with often a particle filter. This is engage around every full tank of diesel fuel. So if you don`t run for longer drives during a full tank it will simply skip that cleaning schedule. When the cleaning system is engaged you feel a little reduced power from the engine. When it engage is often above 50mph and takes about 20-30 minutes to do the cleaning schedule finished. It`s strange that you are not able to engage this cleaning schedule by your self. But the manufactures claims it`s engaged so often so it would not be a problem in the longrun if it`s skips some. It`s engage when the motor is warmed up and have been run for some time over 50mph until it`s starts. So the easiest way is to take the vehical for a long drive on speed over 50mph at least every second full tank of diesel. Or even better once every full tank. That`s the problem with owning a diesel vehical that it`s not suited to be driven short length and at lower speeds. What was mentioned that to put load and high rpm is also a good thing to do once and a while when the engine is warm. If you have an automatic transmission. See if you can lock it in second gear and idle the motor over 3000rpm. So are you not speeding over the limits. And do this during 10-15 minutes so can it self clean the engine some.

Had a Mitsubishi Lancer with a 2.4l GDI gasoline engine. With direct injectors known to clogg up and started run uneven. It was recommended to a warm engine to run in second gear and idle between 4000-5000rpm. And drive it during 15min this way. This was to a engine that has not clogged up to much then it`s needed to be cleaned. And just maintain as clean as possible engine.

This reminds me to get my car for a long drive

 

[Older]

As we learned decades ago with the Audis we had then (and it`s even more true today), with some vehicles it`s utterly binary: you`re either in it for the Long Haul with zero regard for what that might add up to, or else you`re short-timing it and letting the big expenses be somebody else`s problem. Any middle ground is the domain of fools and dreamers....and those rare people who can DIY the tricky stuff (all respect to those folks).

BUT...do today`s cars engender the same kind of auto love affair that keep me putting five-figure repairs into the older cars? Everybody I know with a modern [anything] is either leasing or running a pre-owned until it`s ready to need the big repairs (at which point they`ll dump it). There`s no "I simply love everything about this car and nothing on earth would please me as much" like we feel about ours.

Heh heh, there`s a (very) short list of vehicles I`d really like to have, but even after selling off the ones I *can* live without, I`ve still accumulated too many already and I wouldn`t part with any of them, not to make room for *anything*. Unless that meteorite falls out of the sky and hits one....

That must be a really short list. I can`t even see it.

I agree about the middle ground-(after the warrantee is over,to,let`s say 100k miles). That`s where the real $$$ in service and repairs is at.

Even a "cheap" repair is costly at $135.00/hr. in labor costs. And the cost of parts. Ouch!

I wouldn`t even dream of buying a used 4-5 year old car without getting a factory extended warrantee. A Dodge mechanic told me that the new ZF 8-speeds have no recommended factory maintenance intervals. They don`t even have a trans dipstick so you can check the fluid. It gets checked electronically at the dealer. What would that cost when it pukes? That would easily cover the cost of the warrantee. Nowadays the mechanicals are very stout. The problems seem to be in the electronics and ancillary mechanical systems-(steering racks, air suspension systems,etc.)

I`ve no desire to work on cars anymore. I used to do it all,almost anything mechanical,including clutches, rear ends, etc. I used to have my wife pump the brake pedal for me until I got a power bleeder.

I`m to the point of when the warrantee is over, the car is replaced.

And the guys that can still DYI it all, you have my respect and admiration.

 

[Coleroad]

That must be a really short list. I can`t even see it.

I agree about the middle ground-(after the warrantee is over,to,let`s say 100k miles). That`s where the real $$$ in service and repairs is at.

Even a "cheap" repair is costly at $135.00/hr. in labor costs. And the cost of parts. Ouch!

I wouldn`t even dream of buying a used 4-5 year old car without getting a factory extended warrantee. A Dodge mechanic told me that the new ZF 8-speeds have no recommended factory maintenance intervals. They don`t even have a trans dipstick so you can check the fluid. It gets checked electronically at the dealer. What would that cost when it pukes? That would easily cover the cost of the warrantee. Nowadays the mechanicals are very stout. The problems seem to be in the electronics and ancillary mechanical systems-(steering racks, air suspension systems,etc.)

I`ve no desire to work on cars anymore. I used to do it all,almost anything mechanical,including clutches, rear ends, etc. I used to have my wife pump the brake pedal for me until I got a power bleeder.

I`m to the point of when the warrantee is over, the car is replaced.

And the guys that can still DYI it all, you have my respect and admiration.

Zf transmissons haven`t had dipsticks in two decades. I don`t think anyone makes a automatic transmission with a dipstick anymore. All these manufacturers want to make their vehicles sound like they are very low maintenance. This doesn`t mean that one can`t or shouldn`t Change their transmission fluid regardless. I myself do a drain and fill on all my cars every year. I think lifetime fluids is a bunch of crap.

 

[dennis hiip]

Yes, change your transmission fluid. Mercedes went from every 30k to lifetime and the back to every 39k. Now 70k, I think

 

[Accumulator]

.. I myself do a drain and fill on all my cars every year. I think lifetime fluids is a bunch of crap.

Every year?!? Gee...I too have misgivings bout "lifetime" fluids, but annual transmission fluid changes...gee. I don`t even change the oil in some of `em that often.

 

[Coleroad]

Every year?!? Gee...I too have misgivings bout "lifetime" fluids, but annual transmission fluid changes...gee. I don`t even change the oil in some of `em that often.

a drain and fill is usually somewhere of half or less of the capacity. It`s only around $35-40 a year per car, Pretty cheap imo. I do it with the coolant too. All easy enough to do when I have the cars up on all four jackstands to clean the undercarriage. Not saying anyone has to follow that regime. This way I always remember when it was done last, and that I`m not procrastinating to the point of waiting too long.

 

[Accumulator]

Cpleroad- Note that I`m not being critical, just surprised And, heh heh...I do think to myself "eh, I spend too much time under them already just doing the Maintenance Washes" so maybe I`m working at not finding more things to do under there. AND...you undoubtedly put a lot more miles on yours than we do on ours (the ones we actually drive....still have too many cars around here IMO).

 

[Coleroad]

Cpleroad- Note that I`m not being critical, just surprised And, heh heh...I do think to myself "eh, I spend too much time under them already just doing the Maintenance Washes" so maybe I`m working at not finding more things to do under there. AND...you undoubtedly put a lot more miles on yours than we do on ours (the ones we actually drive....still have too many cars around here IMO).

I didn`t think you were being critical. I was just explaining my reasoning behind it. We probably don`t put more miles on our personal cars. I just treat maintenance by time and not mileage. The wife`s company car on the other hand gets 35-45 thousand miles a year. Our cars all together get about 7500 miles a year. We are more on your path than we`ve ever been on. These 3 cars are probably not going away for at least another 10 years .

 

[Accumulator]

// We probably don`t put more miles on our personal cars. I just treat maintenance by time and not mileage. The wife`s company car on the other hand gets 35-45 thousand miles a year. Our cars all together get about 7500 miles a year...

Accumulatorette put that many on her Daily back when we were teaching, but I bet it takes a long time for us to do 7500 these days.

We are more on your path than we`ve ever been on...

Heh heh, generally speaking, that statement might be worrisome

These 3 cars are probably not going away for at least another 10 years .

Well *that* does indeed sound like us! (I`m discounting the only 10 years a bit since you`re a lot younger than we are, we really might not ever buy anything else..or so I think today but we`ll see.)

 

[Dan]

Rekindled some hate today. Almost two hours to replace the batteries in the ML today. Yes two. Under the passenger seat no less. No wonder the dealer charges $500 just to replace the main battery. Most of the time was the aux battery and the cage that holds it. Classic German engineering.

 

[Stokdgs]

Rekindled some hate today. Almost two hours to replace the batteries in the ML today. Yes two. Under the passenger seat no less. No wonder the dealer charges $500 just to replace the main battery. Most of the time was the aux battery and the cage that holds it. Classic German engineering.

Hope you don`t have to tell the vehicle there are new batteries in there, like it is with BMW`s..
I also hate batteries or fuel tanks under back seats..
Dan F

 

[Dan]

Hope you don`t have to tell the vehicle there are new batteries in there, like it is with BMW`s..
I also hate batteries or fuel tanks under back seats..
Dan F

I didn`t find out. I kept a 12v source attached so I wouldn`t have to reprogram anything. That did add a bit to the PITA factor. Had to be extra careful not to short anything while doing the operation.

 

[rlmccarty2000]

Hope you don`t have to tell the vehicle there are new batteries in there, like it is with BMW`s..
I also hate batteries or fuel tanks under back seats..
Dan F

I recently went through the hassle of “registering” the battery in my BMW. I decided to do it myself instead of paying the dealership $150 for 5 minutes of work. I bought the Carly app and OBDII device and it was very easy. I also used the app to code my BMW to do a few neat tricks. Well worth the money.